AbstractNumerical investigation of the unsteady flow variability driven by rotor-stator interaction in a transonic axial compressor is performed. Two models with close and far axial gap between rotor and stator rows are studied in the simulation. Particular attention is attached to the analysis of mechanisms involved in driving rotor wake oscillation, rotor wake skewing and flow angle fluctuation at rotor exit. The results show that smaller axial gap is favorable to enhance the interaction in the region between two adjacent rows, and the fluctuation of the static pressure difference between two sides of rotor wake is improved by potential field from down stator, which is the driving force for rotor wake oscillation. The interaction between ...